Brick-cleaning machine.



' J, 0. SWISHER. BRI K OLNEANING MACHINE. APPLIOAT10N FILED MAY 22, 1913.

1,1 1 3,259. Patented Oct. 13, 1914.

3 SHEETSSHEET'1.

WITNESSES INVENTOR 5% 5 @W JZa w'a/id 5%- (L. 81 144414, i R Br 1 ATTORNEYS J. O. SWISHER. BRICK CLEANING MACHINE. APPLICATION FILED MAY 22.191;v

9m m w, w I v 5 a M L M C A m WITNESSES 546 a. 621%" J. O. SWISHER.

BRICK CLEANING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 22, 1913.

1,1 13,259. Patented Oct. 13, 1914.

3 SHEETS-SHEET S HIM."

BY WW ATTORNEY? iii in brick f0; its 0 3 3 ViBW at riqh I. top plan mm 911 the hues Fig. 1. Fig.

,- 50f 4.. J (neinv'enti r: I uprights. 1. and by mliliikld sht fi, is

ing'zj prim. shaft i9 tinned shafts; 2:1,Qi3 38 1 w; She amm a m-3s b'ar I 2 on. the mid 53-033 0h v and arrang at Qquai distancs; tlifif sp'acing of. the. $2.

board 18 is flush Q80 vith fin :qvpo'site ends M the puHc-y 25 and. from the ma bnard mid the said my ard is providzd with a lateral upstanding x: 20 21%, the st id ifmer dgie. 4

, shaft. 21 providwed with a Sprbckpt 85 529 it We e'nd iufiacnt to the gbar and the ssrrockt whe el i5 connected my a clmin 30 1th a .prockt wheel 31.01!

,ihe adja-txmt end of a shaft-32 joufnaled (he lie is feathered on ih sqid 10x:

the d seciien provided wlph gmnva which engag she arms of a fork 37, on a lever 38,'pivoted at 39 to across bar 40 inside the frame. By swinging the upper end of the lever 38 in the proper direction, the gear wheel 33 may be clutched to the shaft 32 or released therefrom, and the said shaft operates the shaft 21", which in turn drives the shaft 23". A. cleaning wheel is secured on each of the shafts 8 and 10, and it will be noticed from an inspection of Fig. 1, that the said shafts 8 and 10 are in vertical alinernent with the pulleys or rollers 25 and 26 on the upper and lower series of shafts. The pulleys or rollers 25 and 26 feed the brick through the machine, and the cleaning wheels above mentioned are arr'anged, between the shafts 21-23" and 21"23". The wheel on the shaft 8 has its periphery at the lower part of the wheel between the pulleys or rollers 25 on the shafts 21 and 21", and the lower cleaning wheel is similarly arranged with respect to the pulleys 26 on the shaft 23 and. 23", as to the upper part of the wheel. Each of the said wheels 41 on the shaft 8 and 41. on the shaft 10 is constructed as shown in Figs. 5 t0 8 inclusive. Each wheel is composed of a pair of disks 42, 42 each disk having at its center a hub 43 for en gaging the shaft 8 or 10 as the case may be, the hub being secured to the shaft by means of a set screw 44. Each of the said disks is provided at its periphery with an outwardly ofi'set portion or flange 45, connected to the disk by an integral web 46.

The disks a-re arranged in spaced relation. as shown in Figs. 6 and 7, with a suitable filling 47 of cement, and when so arranged the flanges 4.5 on the said disks are spaced apart from each other to form an annular groove at the periphery of each wheel. The grooveforirned by the flanges 45 is filled by bristles 4'; the said bristles being arranged in close relation and clamped between the flanges, by means of a series of bolts 48 and another series of bolts 49. The bristles are of wire or other stiff material, and the outer ends of the said bristles extend beyond the peripheries of the flanges 45.

Each wheel is in fact a brush of wire bristles, the said brush being arranged in circular form, and the shafts 8 and 10 are so an ranged, and the wheels 41 and 41 are of such size that they will engage the opposite faces of the brick passing between them, to thoroughly cleanthe same. At regular intervals blades 50 are secured to the flange 45 of the disk 42', each of the said blades eX- tending radially of the wheel, and having its outer free end beveled, as indicated at 51. All of the blades are beveled in the same direction, and each blade is received.

in a recess 52 in the outer face of the flange 45, ind one of the bolts 49 is passed throu h each blade, and the flanges 45 of the. dis s.

Nuts53 engage theboltson the opposite provided with a wheel or pulley the said whee s or pulleys are in and side of the wheel, 'iold Ihe blades in place, and to assist in ainping the bristles be tween the flanges. The bolts 48 are engaged by nuts 54 and the series of bolts 48 is' an ranged nearer the peripheries of the flanges 45 than is the series 49. (lountershafts irnaled in hearing in cen- L and in bearin on the under facts of the central longitudinal bar 33, at right er ies to the shafts 21 and 23. The bar .38 c. lerts the uppermost cross bar 3, and is arranged about midway between the longitudinal bars2. The shaft 535 provided with a pulley 59, a belt 6G connects the said. pulley with a. pulley 61 on the driving shaft 4. l second pulley (52 on the shaft 55 is connected to a similar pulley 62 on the shaft by means of a belt 63. A second pair of eountershafts l4 and 64 is journaled below the shafts and 55, in bearings 35 on the uprights l, and in other bearings (3G in. a long tudinal bar (i7 arranged directly below the bar 58 above mentioned. The shaft 55 is in the same vertical plane with the shaft 64, and the shaft is in. the same vertical plane fWlLi". the shaft 64 Each of the shafts and '64- 68, and

to .3 b 1 are connected by an endless belt 69, pro rided on its outer face with radial bristles ofwire or the like. i I

Each of the shafts 55 and 64 is provided with a wheel 68*, the said wheels being in register, and being also in register with the wheels 68 of the shafts 55 and 64. in endle belt- 69 provided with radial brushes jZO of wire or the like, is'supported onlthe wheels or pulley 68 and the adjacent runs or the said hells move in opposite direction and are spacedLapart a sufficientdistance to engage' the side edges of a brick to thoroughly clean the same, as it moves lie-ween the said runs.

In operation, the bricks are fed from the feed board 18. The bricks 71 are arranged in succession against the flange 2Q ofthe jfeed board, and with their" long axis perpendicular to the shafts 21 and 23. 'As the ricks are pressed toward the said shafts, their upper and lower faces are engaged between the rollers of the shafts 21 and 23 and are carried transversely of the machine. The shafts of each series Bl-21 212 and 23- 23 and 23* are spaced apart such'that the wheels or rollers of shafts 21"? and 23 will engage a. brick before it has passed be tween the wheels orrollers on shafts 21 and The bricks will 23, as shown in Fig. 2. thus be fed continuously transversely of the said shafts. As the bricks move from be-- tween the shafts 21 and 2i their upper and lower faces are engaged bythe wheels 41 and 41, the said wheels rotating in the same direction, so that the adjacent portions of their peripheries are moving in opposite direction. Thus there is no tendency to sweep the hrick laterally. and the 'ip iier and lower surfaces are thoroughly cleansed by the wire bristles.

The blades 50 have the points thewof near to the extremities of the bristles. will be evident from an inspection of Figs. L and (l. and the said belts will rcnixwe adheiing bits of mortar too firm for removal by the bristles. As the bricks pass from between the rollers or shafts Li." and 3*, the side edges are engaged by elichris if) of the endless belts (l9 and 61 The hricks are fed eontinuhusly with she front and of each brick in contact with the rear end of the preceding brick, and ihev are finally discharged through the machine at the rear end thereof thoroug "'rlcanscd and in shape for relayi ng.

By means of he 38, the fee ing n'iechanism for th irks may he disconnected fro .i the w per-(Hing inechanism of the Wheel ll ll and the hells (39439, H) ierinit the movement of the bri ks to he chec ed. when it is desired to sulnnit any 'iarl'icular brick to the action of the cleaning devices for a longer tin: than usual. The shafts: 21 and 23 are operated by the movement of the bri ks. which are pushed rearwardly, by tin shafts 2'1 :23.

It will he noticed from an insp tion of Fig. 9, that the hub of ihe gear wheel 33 is a socketengaging the end f the shaft ii). The socket is held in its bearing by m ans of cellars T3 arranged on oppo itc sides of the hea ings. and held to the huh by set screws i l. The lwarin T52 depcmls from the cross bar 4 1"; and the lever 38 is ')iv oted to the l'u'arhci arm 73 extending laterally from the 'd cross bar. by means of a. pin 39. The movahle clutch section 36 is constrained to relate with the shaft 32 by means of a feather 7.7 which engages a groove in the bore of the clutch section.

A loose pulley i3 is arranged on the shaft 4 adjacent to the pulley 6, and when necessary or (lesi able. the belt 7 may be shifted to the loose pulley 6 to stop the operation of the brick cl aning machine without stopping" the motor. it will he noted from an inspcctii'in of the. drawings. that a gear wheel 78 is secured to the shaft 91*. and that the said gear wheel meshes with gear wheels 79 and 80 on the shafts 23 and 2.3". Thus the shafts 2'0 and 23 are positively ro= tated. the arrangement being such that one feed roller of each vertical pair is posh tively driven. a

The arrangement of the \VlI' hrietles on the belts is such that a coarse wire is used at the from eil ziof the said belts while those at the rear edg' are fine and the wires wires and last engaged by the fine wires. The coarse wires loo en the mortar while the line wires clean it completely.

I claim:---

l. A machin of the character spec comprising: ;i hllpl'ifllllli frame. a plurality of series of shaft; arr led lransve l of the mine. :hc :imi'h-a of ea h scrim. oci in the same horizontal plan and arrang:v in s inieed relation. and one of the said ac ri s heing arranged directly above the other i and in liftl relation. ear el zst oi ach serie being in ierticz-il ahnemw n 5th the a cnt shaft of the other eerie s. fe d rollm's irnalrd on the shall-- of each s. s. nil rollers being in alinernent trans wisely of the ma: line and being; arranged in such relation Mat the rollers of the s crawling pair of shafts will gra p a lnicl. lc lore it rch-aswl h the voile 5 of the ceiling? pair of sharts. a {ski brick in front of the mach. first pair of FQll-TTS nd below the said am his and at right angles thereto, a cl aning whee! on each shaft. one of the said who. s ha in; the lower portion of its peripher edendins between the first and the swioi'i'. Pil roller of the upper rice and. the oth r h (l havirf the up} portion of pe iphery extending l the first and second rolcr on the ,l nver ries. each of the said cleaning wheels a ihg: an annular groove in its periphery. said grooves heir; Filled with wire bristles, the fr end of the bristles extending beyond th whe ls for engaging the brick to clef. the same. radial blades secured to i-ach wheel at the front side thereof and extend ing l'icyond the periphery of the wheel. said. blades heing arranged in spaced relation, the wheels engaging the upper and lower faces of the brick, endless cleaning belts mourned on each side of the feed rollers between the last and the next to the last feed rollers. said belts being arranged 'with their adjacent. runs parallel and in spaced relation. each helt having laterally extending wire hr' ties on its outer face for engaging the sides of the brick, means for rotating the eleanin; wheels in the same direction. means for inovin}: the belts with their adjacent runs mov ing in opposite directions, a driving connection between the feed shafts at the front of the machine, means for rotating one of the said shafts, and means for disconnecting said shaft to and from its rotating means.

A machine of the character specified. comprising'a supporting frame cleaning wheels arranged one above the other and with the adjacent portion at ilieir periph (.ltr in spaced relation. wire bristles in conncction uith ach wheel and extending he yoncl the periphery thereof, cleaning urovidcd with laterally extending hriarim.

sair Felts being arranged behind the char.

are

ing wheels and mounted for vertical move ment with their adjacent runs parallel and in spaced relation, each of the cleaning wheels having radial cleaning blades arranged in spaced relation and extending be.- yond its periphery, and means for feeding a brick between the wheels and the adjacent runs of the belts, said means comprising upper and lower series of horizontal shafts arranged in the same plane and spaced apart from each other, the shafts of the upper series registering with the shafts of the lower series; a feed roller on each shaft. said rollers being in alinement and the rollers of the upper series being spaced apart from the rollers of the lower series to receive a brick betw een the same, the rollers of the series being s aced apart to permit each roller to grasp tlie brick before the succeeding roller releases the same, driving mechanism, a driving shaft for the ma chine, connections between the said driving shaft, the wheels and the belts for operating the same, and means for connecting and disconnecting the shafts and the driving shaft.

3. A machine of the character specified, comprising a supporting frame, cleaning wheels arranged one above the other and with the adjacent portion of their periph cries in spaced relation, wire bristles in con ncction with each wheel and extending be yond the periphery thereof, cleaning belts provided with'laterally extending bristles, said belts bein r arranged behind the clean ing wheels an mounted for vertical move ment with their adjacent runs parallel and in spaced relation, each of the cleaning wheels having radial cleaning blades arranged in spaced relation and extending be yond its periphery, and means for feeding a brick between the wheels and the adjacent runs of the belts,- and means for operating the belts and the cleaning wheels.

4. In a machine of the character speciz 'l, a pair of cleaning wheels mounted to rotate on parallel axes in vertical alinement, wire bristles on the peripheral surface of each wheel, the free ends of the bristles extending beyond the said surface, a series of cleaning blades secured to the front face of each wheel and extending beyond the periphery thereof, said blades being arranged in spaced relation, each blade having its free end beveled, the wheels being spaced to engage the upper and lower faces of the brick, means for rotating the cleaning; wheels and means for feeding a brick etween the wheels.

5. In a machine of the character specified, a cleaning wheel comprising aair of disks each having a hub at its center or receiving a shaft, each of the said disks having a laterally outward offset annular flan e at its periphery, bristles of wire clampe between the flanges of the disks and with their free ends extending beyond the periphery of the disks, means for clamping the disks together on the bristles, and radial blades secured to the flange of one disk and extending beyond the periphery thereof, each blade having its outer end beveled, said bristles extending beyond the blades.

6. In a machine of the character specified, a cleaning wheel provided with an annular peripheral groove, wire bristles in the groove extending beyond the periphery of the wheel, means for holding the bristles in the groove, and radial blades arranged in spaced relation at the periphery of each wheel on one face thereof, said blades extending beyond the periphery of the wheel and each blade having its free end beveled.

7. In a machine of the character specified, a cleaning wheel provided with an annular peripheral groove, wire bristles in the groove extending beyond the periphery of the wheel, means for holding the bristles in the groove, and radial blades arranged in spaced relation at the periphery of each wheel on one face thereof.

8. In machine of the character specified, a cleaning wheel provided with an annular peripheral groove, wire bristles in the groove extending beyond the periphery of the wheel, and cleaning blades at the periphery of the wheel.

9. In a machine of the character specified, .xneans for cleaning the opposite sides of the brick. the said means comprising pairs of shafts arranged in vertical spaced relation, Wheels on the shafts, the said wheels of each pair of shafts being in alinement and in alincment with the wheels of the other pair of shafts, an endless belt supported on each pair of wheels, each belt having laterally extending wire bristles, means for rotating thc belts with their acent rims movin in opposite directions, and means for fee ing brick between the belts.

10. In a machine of the character specified, a cleaning device for bricks comprising oppositely arranged endless belts, means for supporting each of the said belts for longitudinal movement and with their adjacent 5 runs moving verti ally and in opposite direc-- tions, each belt havin a pluralitv of wire bristles on its outer ace for th purpose specified, and means for operating the belt. 11. In a machine of the character specifled, means for cleaning opposite faces of the brick, said means being arranged in spaced relation, means for ,cleaning the opposite. side edges of the brick, said means being arranged in spaced relation to permit the passage of a brick between the same and in rear of the first named cleaning means, and means for feeding the brick past the said l cleaning means, said feeding means comprisl ing upper and lower series of horizontally arranged shafts, the shafts of each series being in the same horizontal plane and spaced apart from each other a distance less than the length of the brick to be fed, the shafts of the lower series being in vertical alinement with the shafts of the upper series, and rollers on the shafts, said rollers being in transverse alineinent and adapted to grasp the opposite faces of the brick to move the same, means for operating sundry 10 0f the rollers, and means for releasing the said rollers at will from the operating means.

JOSIAH OWEN SWISHER.

\Vitnesses E. B. MILAM, A. C. HOWARD. 

